Good Shepherd School

In 1911 Monsignor Gillan of St Benedict’s Parish purchased five acres
at the end of Telford Avenue in Balmoral, an emerging Auckland suburb.
One year later Good Shepherd School tentatively began life with the
opening of two classrooms in Pine Street, directly behind Telford
Avenue.

The School was run by the Sisters of St Joseph who travelled each day
by tram from St Benedict’s. The Sisters of St Joseph were founded in
1866 by Saint Mary MacKillop, a remarkable Australian woman who
dedicated her life to helping those in need.

In 1921 Fr William John Murphy arrived at Good Shepherd Parish as its
first Parish Priest. He then vigorously applied himself to preparing
the grounds for the parish complex to be built and on 17 September 1922
the foundation stones of the new school and presbytery were blessed by
Bishop Liston. Various additional classrooms were built over the years
to cater for an increasing school roll and Good Shepherd became the
largest Catholic primary school in Auckland. In 1924 the Sisters of St
Joseph established a convent in Telford Avenue where they lived until
1978. At that time the convent was purchased by the Diocese and
converted to a residential home for intellectually handicapped men and
women, which it remains to this day.

In the 1930s, with an ever-increasing roll, the School opened a
secondary department providing clerical tuition for girls. However in
1954 the secondary department was closed down as the primary school roll
had swelled to 496 pupils. With such a large school base the need for a
bigger Church became apparent. The old Church building (now the Parish
Hall) was moved 86 feet to one side to make room for the new Church and
in August 1959 the new Good Shepherd Church was officially opened and
blessed.

In 1989 the first Board of Trustees was appointed to the School. The
Board replaced the School Committee providing governance and support
for the school management team. It was from this Board that the School
Charter was developed and the following Mission Statement put forward to
challenge all future Boards and parents:

Good Shepherd School holds the vision of a positive, Roman Catholic
learning environment, enabling children to reach their full potential by
recognising and catering for the needs and rights of individual
children.

Since its inception, Good Shepherd School has always maintained a
strong Catholic character and spirituality together with a dedicated and
committed staff. A major part of the School’s strength lies in its
multi-cultural ethnicity and meeting the challenges and needs that arise
from this. It is with this very much in mind that the School moves
forward welcoming and embracing the changes that diverse cultures demand
without compromising its essential Catholic character. The values first
instilled by the good Sisters of St Joseph continue to be passed on
through generations of pupils, staff and families associated with the
School.